Brian Glover
Encyclopedia
Brian Glover was an English character actor, writer and wrestler. Glover was a professional wrestler, teacher, and finally a film, television and stage actor. He once said, "You play to your strengths in this game. My strength is as a bald-headed, rough-looking Yorkshireman".
, but grew up in Barnsley
. His father was a wrestler, performing as the "Red Devil". He attended Barnsley Grammar School
and the University of Sheffield
, where he supplemented his student grant by appearances as a professional wrestler, going under the ring name "Leon Aris the Man From Paris". In 1954 he married and, to satisfy his new family responsibilities, he became a teacher at the same Barnsley school where he had been a pupil. Glover worked as a school teacher (teaching English and French) from 1954 until 1970, managing to combine this with regular performances as "Leon Aris", whose appearances included bouts in Paris, Milan, Zurich, and Barcelona.
Glover's first acting job and probably his most memorable came playing Mr Sugden, the comically overbearing sports teacher in Ken Loach
's film Kes
(a job offered him when Barry Hines
, a fellow teacher who wrote the film, suggested him to the director). Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor, using techniques learnt during his wrestling career. While his trademark bald head, stocky build, and gruff Yorkshire
accent garnered him many roles as tough guys and criminals, he also played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
, had a recurring role in the classic sitcom Porridge, played Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop
, and lent his voice to a number of animated characters, including the "gaffer" of the "Tetley Tea Folk
" in a long-running series of television advertisements for Tetley
tea and as the voice behind the slogan, 'Bread with nowt taken out' for Allinsons bakery. He also appeared in An American Werewolf in London
, The First Great Train Robbery
, Jabberwocky
, Alien 3, Leon the Pig Farmer
and as General Douglas in a Bollywood hit 1942: A Love Story
.
Glover's performance in Kes led to parts at the Royal Court Theatre
, London, notably in Lindsay Anderson
's The Changing Room
(1971). A season with Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company
followed, where appropriately enough his roles included Charles the wrestler in As You Like It
, and a robust Peter in Romeo and Juliet
. For the Royal National Theatre
he appeared in The Mysteries
(as God, creating the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck), Saint Joan
and Don Quixote.
His performance in The Mysteries brought work in the commercial theatre. The Canterbury Tales
(West End) was followed by a return to television and the Play for Today
series, both as writer and performer and, in turn, more screen roles. Glover went on to play "Lugg", the endearing rogue manservant to Albert Campion
in the series Campion and the role of a crook, "Griffiths", in the Doctor Who
story Attack of the Cybermen
in 1985. He played Edouard Dindon in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles. In 1991 he starred in the second episode of Bottom
– "Gas
" – as "Mr Rottweiler". His last film was John Godber
's rugby league
comedy Up 'n' Under
(1998).
Glover also wrote over 20 plays and short films. In 1982 he was a guest presenter in series six of Friday Night Saturday Morning, a late-night BBC chat show.
, London.
Early life
Glover was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, but grew up in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
. His father was a wrestler, performing as the "Red Devil". He attended Barnsley Grammar School
Holgate School (Barnsley)
-Admissions:It was recently awarded the status of Sports College in 2005 for its attention to sporting achievements.-History:Holgate School was originally founded in 1546 in Hemsworth by Robert Holgate, the Archbishop of York. In 1888 it was re-organised and moved to Barnsley, South Yorkshire...
and the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
, where he supplemented his student grant by appearances as a professional wrestler, going under the ring name "Leon Aris the Man From Paris". In 1954 he married and, to satisfy his new family responsibilities, he became a teacher at the same Barnsley school where he had been a pupil. Glover worked as a school teacher (teaching English and French) from 1954 until 1970, managing to combine this with regular performances as "Leon Aris", whose appearances included bouts in Paris, Milan, Zurich, and Barcelona.
Career
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
's film Kes
Kes (film)
Kes is a 1969 British film from director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. The film is based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines in 1968...
(a job offered him when Barry Hines
Barry Hines
Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL is a British author who has written several popular novels and television scripts.-Early life:Born in the mining village of Hoyland Common near Barnsley, England, he attended Ecclesfield Grammar School and played football for the England Grammar Schools team...
, a fellow teacher who wrote the film, suggested him to the director). Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor, using techniques learnt during his wrestling career. While his trademark bald head, stocky build, and gruff Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
accent garnered him many roles as tough guys and criminals, he also played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, had a recurring role in the classic sitcom Porridge, played Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London....
, and lent his voice to a number of animated characters, including the "gaffer" of the "Tetley Tea Folk
Tetley Tea Folk
The Tetley Tea Folk are animated characters used to advertise Tetley Tea from 1973 to 2001, and from 2010 to present.- Tea Folk History :The late John McGill Lewis of McCann Erickson originated The Tetley Tea Folk in 1973...
" in a long-running series of television advertisements for Tetley
Tetley
Tetley, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages , is the world's second largest manufacturer and distributor of tea. Owned by India's Tata Group, Tetley's manufacturing and distribution business is spread across 40 countries and sells over 60 branded tea bags...
tea and as the voice behind the slogan, 'Bread with nowt taken out' for Allinsons bakery. He also appeared in An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
, The First Great Train Robbery
The First Great Train Robbery
The First Great Train Robbery — known in the U.S. as The Great Train Robbery — is a 1979 film directed by Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay based on his novel The Great Train Robbery...
, Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky (film)
Jabberwocky is a 1977 British fantasy black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Michael Palin as a young cooper who is forced through clumsy, often slapstick misfortunes to hunt a terrible dragon after the death of his father...
, Alien 3, Leon the Pig Farmer
Leon the Pig Farmer
Leon the Pig Farmer is a 1993 comedy about a Jewish estate agent in London who discovers that thanks to an artificial insemination mishap, his real father owns a pig farm in Yorkshire...
and as General Douglas in a Bollywood hit 1942: A Love Story
1942: A Love Story
1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Bollywood film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, and Pran. The film was the first ever to be given a U/A rating while featuring a scene, previously considered inappropriate for young children, showing the actors kissing...
.
Glover's performance in Kes led to parts at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, London, notably in Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
's The Changing Room
The Changing Room
The Changing Room is a 1971 play by David Storey, set in a men's changing room before, during and after a rugby game. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 9 November 1971, directed by Lindsay Anderson...
(1971). A season with Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
followed, where appropriately enough his roles included Charles the wrestler in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, and a robust Peter in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. For the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
he appeared in The Mysteries
The Mysteries (play)
The Mysteries is a version of the medieval English mystery plays presented at London's National Theatre in 1977. The cycle of three plays tells the story of the Bible from the creation to the last judgement....
(as God, creating the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck), Saint Joan
Saint Joan (play)
Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, based on the life and trial of Joan of Arc. Published not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts...
and Don Quixote.
His performance in The Mysteries brought work in the commercial theatre. The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
(West End) was followed by a return to television and the Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
series, both as writer and performer and, in turn, more screen roles. Glover went on to play "Lugg", the endearing rogue manservant to Albert Campion
Albert Campion
Albert Campion is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Margery Allingham. He first appeared as a supporting character in The Crime at Black Dudley , an adventure story involving a ring of criminals, and would go on to feature in another 17 novels and over 20...
in the series Campion and the role of a crook, "Griffiths", in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story Attack of the Cybermen
Attack of the Cybermen
Attack of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 5 January to 12 January 1985. It opened Season 22 of the series...
in 1985. He played Edouard Dindon in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles. In 1991 he starred in the second episode of Bottom
Bottom (TV series)
Bottom was a British sitcom television series that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who star as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London...
– "Gas
Gas (Bottom episode)
"Gas" is the second episode of the first series of British sitcom Bottom. It was first broadcast on Tuesday September 24, 1991.-Synopsis:...
" – as "Mr Rottweiler". His last film was John Godber
John Godber
John Harry Godber is an English dramatist, known mainly for his observational comedies. In the 'Plays and Players Yearbook' for 1993 he was calculated as the third most performed playwright in the UK behind William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has a wife and 2 children.-Biography:Godber was...
's rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
comedy Up 'n' Under
Up 'n' Under (film)
Up 'n' Under is a 1998 film adaptation of the John Godber play of the same title.John Godber scripted and made his directorial debut with this adaptation of his play...
(1998).
Glover also wrote over 20 plays and short films. In 1982 he was a guest presenter in series six of Friday Night Saturday Morning, a late-night BBC chat show.
Personal life
Glover was married twice, secondly to television producer Tara Prem, the daughter of TV actor Bakhshi Prem. He had two children, one son and one daughter. Glover developed a brain tumour and died in a London hospital on 24 July 1997. He is buried in Brompton CemeteryBrompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
, London.
Film and Television Credits
- KesKes (film)Kes is a 1969 British film from director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. The film is based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines in 1968...
(1969) ... Mr Sugden - On the House (1971) TV ... Bagley
- Paul TemplePaul TemplePaul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction...
(1971) TV ... Waites - Joy (1972) TV Movie ... Extra
- Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(1972) TV ... Fred Henshaw - Sez LesSez LesSez Les was a British comedy sketch show that starred Les Dawson. It was produced by Yorkshire Television and aired on ITV from 1969 to 1976. The show also starred Roy Barraclough from series Four - who would go on to become Dawson's most recognisable sidekick. The two most notably appeared...
(1972) TV ... Extra - A Day OutA Day OutA Day Out is a short film shot in Wales at the popular seaside resort of Barry Island.It is the story of a troublesome boy who runs away from his family on an adventure to the beach....
(1972) TV Movie ... Boothroyd - Thirty-Minute Theatre (1973) TV ... Extra
- Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a 1970s British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It is the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais...
(1973) TV ... Flint - The Regiment (1973) TV ... Sergeant Dyke
- O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
(1973) ... Plantation foreman/Bassett (Power station guard) - The ProtectorsThe ProtectorsThe Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It is Anderson's second TV series using live actors as opposed to electronic marionettes, and also his second to be firmly set in the present day...
(1973) TV ... Allen - You'll Never Walk AloneYou'll Never Walk AloneYou'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album...
(1974) TV Short ... Maurice Pouncey - PorridgePorridge (TV series)Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland...
(1974) TV ... Heslop - Centre Play (1974) TV ... Nobby
- The SweeneyThe SweeneyThe Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
(1975) TV ... Moose - Not on Your NellieNot On Your NellieNot On Your Nellie was a British sitcom that ran from 1974-75. It starred veteran actress Hylda Baker as Nellie Pickersgill, a Bolton woman who moves to London to help run her ailing father's Chelsea pub...
(1975) TV ... Battling Bill - Dixon of Dock GreenDixon of Dock GreenDixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
(1975) TV ... Chuck Windell - BranniganBrannigan (film)Brannigan is a British action film set principally in London, directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough...
(1975) ... Jimmy-the-Bet - QuillerQuillerQuiller is the alias of a fictional spy created by English novelist Elleston Trevor and featured in a series of Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym "Adam Hall".The series focuses on a solitary, highly capable spy...
(1975) TV ... Sergeant - The Wild West Show (1975) TV ... Extra
- The Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London....
(1975) ... Furnaceman - Sweeney! (1977) ... Mac
- The Company of WolvesThe Company of WolvesThe Company of Wolves is a 1984 gothic fantasy-horror film directed by Neil Jordan, and starring Sarah Patterson and Angela Lansbury.The film is based on the werewolf story of the same name in Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber...
(1984) ... Amorous Boy's Father - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(1985) ... Griffiths - BottomBottomBottom normally means the base, or the lowest point, of an object or geographic feature. It can also refer to:* Buttocks, portions of the anatomy on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds...
(1991) ... Mr. Rottweiler - Alien 3 (1992) ... Harold Andrews
External links
- Biography
- Obituary: Brian Glover, by Tom Vallance, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 25 July 1997 - Brian Glover's gravesite
- Brian Glover at the National Portrait Gallery, London